IEO Engine Glossary Term

Source Classification

The category an AI inference engine assigns to a source based on its evaluation of the source's content type, authority level, and reliability. Source classifications determine which queries the source is selected for and how prominently it is cited.

Source classification is not directly visible to operators but can be inferred from citation patterns. A source consistently cited for specific query types has been classified for those query types. A source cited rarely or only for narrow query types has a more limited classification.

IEO Engine deployments are explicitly architected to support broad source classification — not just answering specific questions but functioning as canonical references for entire topical areas. This produces citation availability across query variations rather than narrow citation for specific question phrasings.

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